In the course of four afternoons at the centre, I got to talk to a number of the regulars.
Sasha and Nina
Sasha (a male name in Eastern Europe, short for Oleksandr/Alexander) and Nina, a married couple, have been volunteering at Kubyk since it was established. Sasha is a veteran of the Soviet Union’s war with Afghanistan.
Sasha: ‘On the very first day in 2014, I went to the military recruitment office. Then to build barricades. We helped however we could…
‘If I was younger I’d go and defend Ukraine myself, but I’m 70, a pensioner. I’ve put down my gun and now I’m weaving nets…
‘Russia only understands strength. They think negotiations are weakness. They say we’re brothers, but brothers don’t behave like that! Cultured people don’t bomb museums, hospitals and theatres!’
Oksana Porodko
As an unexpected bonus… I’m not really into visual art, but… look at this stuff!
Oksana is an artist and before the full-scale invasion put a lot of time into her Etsy shop, which mothballed for now. Her work is largely created from found items such as ring pulls, bottle tops, wire and old belt buckles.
She’s also one of the most devoted of the weavers. A couple of months ago a local news outlet did a report on Kubyk and Oksana was featured, speaking her mind. I love it when people speak clearly! Consequently I can tell you what she said:
‘It’s heavy work, very heavy. [Sorting through bags, hefting material around, not just weaving.] But I understand that our work helps defend people. I don’t understand women who can sit around watching the TV and doing nothing. How can you do that? How can you not help our lads at the front? How can these women not understand that if they give as much help as they can, their children might not go to the front? Every piece of work that we do, every net is a step towards victory.’
Well, Oksana is really fabulous... And you look much more at ease with weaving. Sasha and Nina working together is warming my heart.